Vanessa Amorosi The singer’s triumphant return
The singer talks industry pressures, moving to LA and becoming a mum
The last time Australian singersongwriter Vanessa Amorosi was at the top of her game, she was a brighteyed 17-year-old from Melbourne with a vocal range far beyond her years.
The redhead single-handedly captured the heart of the nation after she descended on ANZ Stadium’s main stage at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she sang her anthemic hit single Absolutely Everybody – a tune that still rings in every Aussie’s ears.
Eleven ARIA nominations and three albums followed – and then she seemingly disappeared from view. So what exactly has Vanessa, 35, been doing in the 10 years since her last album, Hazardous, was released?
Well, as she makes her comeback in Australia with her new single Heavy Lies The Heart, ultra-private Vanessa talks to Woman’s Day and gives her loyal fans a glimpse into the life she’s built in LA, with her husband Rod Busby and their three-year-old son Killian.
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
Vanessa would be the first person to forgive you for thinking she had dropped off the face of the earth, but as she tells Woman’s Day, she had a good reason.
“When you have momentum and success, of course you want to keep that going, but sometimes it’s just not easy to keep that switch on,” the singer says of reaching stardom at such a young age.
Vanessa admits she hit a roadblock musically, and reveals she had no intention of releasing work she couldn’t say she was proud of producing.
“I had a lot of different things, but nothing I could stand behind and say was my greatest work,” she confesses.
LIFE’S BLESSINGS
Despite dealing with a lot for any regular teenager – making records, pleasing the fans, representing the country at an event as big as the Olympics – Vanessa insists she has no regrets about starting off young.
“I’m grateful it happened this way,” she explains. “God knows what I would be doing if I didn’t have success. I’m always grateful because there are a billion of us out there wanting the same thing and every time something works for me... it’s a blessing.”
But there’s one blessing in particular that Vanessa is grateful for the most – Killian, her son with martial arts trainer husband Rod, who she met randomly at a coffee shop shortly after relocating to LA.
“Motherhood has changed me because it’s tough and I don’t know why I thought it would be easy,” she laughs. “But it’s tough!”
The mother-of-one goes on to explain that her son is like a tornado when he enters a room, constantly bouncing off the walls and always swinging off something. But her smile says it all – she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Juggling all that – him giving me constant ‘heart attacks’ – and pulling off all this business stuff, it’s been a real tough task, but I’m doing it!” she says.
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Opening up about her usually private family life, Vanessa reveals to Woman’s Day that Killian is something of a musical prodigy.
“He’s only just turned three and he already has the correct pitch,” she says proudly.
But when asked if she approves of him possibly following her into the entertainment industry, Vanessa is surprisingly hesitant.
“The thing is, I grew up in a musician family and it’s a really hard lifestyle, and unless you’re lucky enough to be successful, you’re worried about each week going by, financially,” she says.
NEW BEGINNINGS
When Vanessa works in the gym she and Rod own in LA, she’s only too happy to go under the radar. But now she’s back on Aussie shores to promote her new single, Vanessa has had to get used to being recognised on the streets again, which is a little nerve-racking for her, given that she sees her new music as a big risk.
“This single is the one that made me the most nervous because it’s very versatile in range and different-sounding to what’s going on now,” explains Vanessa. “You can hear the flavour of the gospel music I’ve been doing for a while – it’s a risk, but it’s me. You can definitely hear me.”
‘Every time something works for me... it’s a blessing’